The wife unit wants a good bedside/ walk the dog light. After a little research I really thought I wanted some form of 18650 light.

But after doing some research on candlepowerforums, I'm more confused than ever.  They're talking about: protected vs unprotected batteries,  some batteries not being accurately labeled as to output, using "good" chargers,  measuring the voltage with a meter to make sure it doesnt discharge lower than 40%, etc.

I really don't like cr123's for price point IF the 18650 is a good option for me.

All I want is:  

Good light output
Rechargeable
Ability to run it until the battery dies
Not need to have a degree to operate/ charge.

Can someone dumb this down for me?

For flashlights you want high MAH as amps don't matter as much as usage time that high MAH gets you. Get batteries from a good place not Amazon or eBay.

I have been running the same AW 18650 cell in a Fenix light for almost 7 years now.   The first year it got used daily on a duty belt.   The battery still shows no signs of slowing down.

Get a decent quality light, a decent charger, and some protected cells you're not cheaping out on.  Then don't charge them unattended.


If you have a bit of extra money and like nice things, consider something like a Malkoff MD2.   If you want to save a few bucks, get one of the lights from Fenix or similar with good reviews.

Thanks for that answer.  When you say don't charge them unattended,  are you literally saying don't leave it, or just don't put it on the charger indefinitely?  

And are you running your light until the cell dies before charging, or is that a no no?

Lithium batteries can rupture and start fires, normally they don't.
Running these batteries dead is bad for them and significantly reduces their usable life. It's better to charge them daily than to only do it when they've completely discharged.
I have AW brand protected cells in my surefire. I charge them in the sink with a ceramic bowl over the charger lol. Not sure if it's an accepted charging method but it should have a hard time starting a fire in there!

Have you made a post over there? They have a section where you fill out a form and they'll give you suggestions on what light,  etc.

I have several of those flash lites with 18650 batt's and yes I have run them till they die. They charge up fine. I also have a spare batt in reserve so I don't have to wait to charge. All my batt, are protected and from amazon. My charger is automatic and it takes over 8 hour's to charge. I leave them alone all the time. LOL

Try your local vape shop.

If any consumer electronics use 18650s in bulk, it's the vape (e cigarette) industry.

I like NXJO and IMRON. I believe they are Samsung or LG batteries, and the other companies are importers of these, putting their own wrap on them. Any which way, good batteries, always have good run time in vapes, and are pretty sturdy from being dropped.

The "good" chargers are "smart", I've had an intellicharger brand for 3 years now and it works great still. It also charges my AA rechargeables for the TV remote and xbox controller.

18650 cells are indeed what you seek. There are many flashlights that take them now.

Just don't cheap out on buying 18650 cells. Buy the protected 18650 cells and it takes most of risk out of them. Name brands like AW, Keeppower, Orbtronic, Xtar, Olight, Nitecore, etc will probably be great cells.

I second the recommendation of not charging Li Ion cells when you're not home/unattended. That includes in things like phones and tablets too. (i.e. like the latest Samsung Galaxy Note) They are very energy dense cells and if things go wrong fire and noxious fumes are usually the end result.

For the most part I have standardized most of my flashlights around 18650s and couldn't be happier.

I buy my batteries from www.illumn.com

I usually stick with Sony, but have some Orbtronics and AW batteries. I like Nitecore or Efest LUC chargers. You can get a fireproof bag to charge your phones/batteries in, if you are worried about charging batteries unattended. My lights last for weeks without a charge. I am a very light duty type user. Good luck.

Lithium Ion cells are fairly complicated. To be fair, BatteryJunction sells the Titanium Innovation-brand CR123's for $48 for a box of 50 and you get free shipping on orders over $50.

That said, minimum voltage, that is, voltage below which damage begins occurring to a lithium ion cell is generally seen as 2.8 volts and is where most protection circuit boards kick in. Alot of the commercially branded 18650's from Nitecore, Olight, et, will have a small chip and a mosfet (high amp transistor) to break the circuit when the cell drops to its threshold. Some batteries are sold without this as the protection circuit usually adds a few millimeters to the length of the cell, makes it wider (because the protection circuit needs a jumper from the positive end of the battery), and the mosfet usually adds resistance, ultimately depreciating ultimate output. Some lights come with a low-volt shutoff built in, its usually touted in the description.

The batteries to avoid, the ones labeled as having greater output then advertised are usually the chinesium cells. There are good cells put out by a couple chinese brands, but the counterfeit industry is very good at copying them. Don't buy batteries from eBay or anything that has "____fire" in the brand (ultrafire, ect).

Charging lithium ion cells is another item that is more complicated than it should be. Unlike a lead acid or nimh(what most rechargeable AA's are) battery that just slowly turn excess power into waste heat, a li-ion will burst if overcharged, usually with some sort of pyrotechnics. If you use a decent charger with decent batteries, you will have no problem. The Nitecore Intellicharger line is a good entry level charger that is safe and proven. I use an Opus BT-C3100 but that has alot of geek features to it and costs twice as much.

just buy the intellicharger and batteries from nitecore. wam bam,  done!
I have bought and gifted this light probably 15 times with the nitecore battery and I2 charger for years.
ALL still work.


Want a good setup thats click and buy with everything? done and done

Just go buy a rechargeable Streamlight Kit, they are plenty bright, it all works together and snaps into the charger. I got my Dad one since he just wanted something reliable and easy to work. I am sure there are trendy and or cheaper options but for my 68 year old father...it works great.

So would anot all-in-one USB system like this nitecore be a good way to go? I would assume they have matched the battery / charger properly to minimize overcharging.

http://www.illumn.com/nitecore-mh10-nitecore-18650-2300mah-usb-rechargeable.html

Thanks.  I am leaning towards a USB/  nitecore combo for simplicity

The guys at CPF are a great bunch, but Internet forums can be a little over the top sometimes.

18650s are awesome batteries.  Get a good light, good batteries (no *fire, eBay or amazon), good charger and you'll be fine.  Just don't go swimming with the light in your pocket or store the batteries loose - get some of the $0.49 cent plastic battery cases. 

Theyre like exploding glocks - both can happen to fools.  If you're not one of those you'll get a lot of use out of a fine product.

Buy your Cr123 surefires by the dozen and they are not expensive.

You buy the bits and suddenly realize you have 150 bucks in a flashlight.
Malkoff VME head and dropin, Fivemega E head C tail custom, C tail twisty and it just sits in my handgun vault.

Most of my lights I use/carry daily are 4seven Quarks of different flavors.  
1xAA Quark gets used most and I have a backup.

100 lumens with Nimh eneloop or I can run Liion AA size for a couple hundred.